JP2008204448A - Value insertion using bill pay card preassociated with biller - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system and a method for inserting a value into a customer account related to a provider of a commodity or service. <P>SOLUTION: This system and method may include distributing a bill pay card to a customer, presenting the bill pay card in a point of sale (POS) location, reading and/or acquiring information on its card from the bill pay card, receiving the value from the customer, and crediting the value received from the customer to an account of the customer related to the provider of the commodity or the service. The bill pay card includes sufficient information for identifying the provider of the commodity or the service, the customer and the account of the customer related to the provider of the commodity or the service. The system may include the bill pay card, the provider of the commodity or the service and a POS. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

Cross-reference of related applications

  This application is a continuation-in-part of US application Ser. No. 10 / 739,301, filed Dec. 19, 2003, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, and claims priority thereto. . This application further claims priority to US Application No. 10 / 253,243, filed September 24, 2002, which is a provisional application filed September 24, 2001. Claims 60 / 324,333 and US Provisional Application No. 60 / 396,404 filed July 15, 2002, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. It has been incorporated. This application is also directed to US Provisional Application No. 60 / 519,630, filed November 14, 2003, and US Provisional Application No. 60 / 519,629, filed November 14, 2003. Both of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

  This application also includes US Application No. 10 / 712,182, filed on November 13, 2003, US Application No. 10 / 655,828, filed on September 5, 2003, and November 11, 2003. Claims priority to US patent application Ser. No. 10 / 698,084 filed on Mar. 3, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

  This application also claims priority to US Application No. 10 / 411,971, filed April 11, 2003 and now issued as US Pat. No. 7,083,084, which Claiming priority to US Application No. 09 / 641,363, filed August 18, 1999 and currently issued as US Pat. No. 6,575,361, which was issued on August 19, 1999 Claimed priority to filed US Provisional Application No. 60 / 149,740, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

  This application is also preferred over US application Ser. No. 10 / 732,641, filed Dec. 10, 2003, now issued as US Pat. No. 7,093,761, incorporated herein by reference. Insist on the right.

  This application is related to International Application No. PCT / US02 / 30281 filed on September 24, 2002 and incorporated herein by reference.

Background of the Invention

  The present invention relates to memory value card accounts. More particularly, the present invention relates to adding stored value to a stored value account managed by a third party. As described in the related application, the data on the stored value card relates to services and / or products that are paid or prepaid by the card owner or end user. Each of the stored value cards may be associated with a PIN.

  A memory value account is associated with a product and / or service provider. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the stored value account is associated with a wireless telecommunications service provider (sometimes referred to as a telecommunications company). For example, a customer may purchase a $ 20 PIN to enable $ 20 wireless service in a wireless memory value account.

  Memory value cards such as prepaid long distance telephone cards are commonly used in the telephone industry and allow customers to purchase long distance calling time in advance. Each card has a printed identification number. The associated identification information may be stored magnetically on the card or printed on a barcode. The identification number may also be stored in a file in a database maintained by the card issuer. In traditional business models, when a card is sent to a retailer location where it will be sold, a corresponding record in the database is activated, thus allowing the card to be used immediately by the customer. . To use the card as a prepaid long distance card, the customer dials a toll free number, accesses the card issuer's system, enters an identification number, and makes the desired long distance call.

  These prior art prepaid phone card systems have several drawbacks. For example, since the card has been activated since it was on a display shelf at a retailer location, the card could be stolen by a thief and easily used. One way to address some of the shortcomings of prior art prepaid phone card systems has been to install their own activation terminal at the prepaid card issuer. This is referred to as a “closed system”. US Pat. No. 5,577,109 (“Stimson”) by Stimson et al. Discloses such a closed system. In the Stimson system, the card is not pre-activated. Each retailer location where a card will be sold is provided with a dedicated activation terminal that allows the retailer operator to set the value of the card at the time of sale. The activation terminal connects to the card issuer's system, sends a value, and requests activation of the card. A used up card can be recharged in the same way as a card is sold. A significant disadvantage of the Stimson system is that it requires the installation of single-function dedicated hardware at each retailer location, making it a very inflexible and expensive system.

  US Patent No. 6,000,608 ("Dorf") by Dorf provides a multi-function card system that includes a prepaid phone card activation system, which requires the use of a closed system to handle transactions. Rather, it allows you to purchase and recharge cards at various amounts. Dorf allegedly improved some of Stimson's shortcomings by using a point-of-sale device connected to a banking system, but Dorf is likely to result from some system accessible to many users It is said that the source of card activation requests will not be matched with regard to enhancing the detection of certain potential security breaches.

  US Pat. No. 6,185,545 (“Resnick”) by Resnick et al. Provides a single payment card that allows a customer to pass a card through a reader at participating merchant terminals. Allows repeated addition of value to a memory value account. Resnick requires that the customer first contact the central processor and associate the card with the customer account before adding value. You cannot buy Resnick cards at the point of sale, and you cannot redeem Resnick cards for value. That is, the card itself has no value.

  It would be desirable to provide an improved system and method for repeatedly adding value to a stored value account using a single card.

  It is further desirable for the central processor to provide a system and method for handling PIN requests for several telecommunications companies, where the telecommunications company has a stored value account, which is stored at a central processing entity that distributes and activates cards. Not maintained or maintained.

  In addition, it is common for customers to purchase goods or services with credits and later receive bills from the provider of goods or services that require payment. Traditionally, customers repay their accounts by making payments in the form of banknotes, bills of exchange (eg, checks) or money orders. Instead, the biller will credit the amount to be paid on the invoice by letting the biller automatically pay the credit card every month or by filling out the credit card information on the invoice. Either by authorizing the card to be charged, the customer may repay the debt by using a credit card. More recently, online payment methods have become available that allow customers to make payments using the Internet, typically through a biller's website or a bank's website.

  These known methods and systems generally require a bank, check account, or credit card. However, some customers may not have their bank account or credit card, or may not like to use their bank account or credit card when making certain payments. May be. A common alternative is the use of postal money orders. However, postal money orders have their own drawbacks, including inconvenience, additional fee payments, and postage.

  Accordingly, systems and methods that allow payment of bills and other liabilities to be paid without using bank accounts, credit cards, or postal money orders are desirable.

Summary of the Invention

  Aspects of the invention may include systems and methods for inserting value into a customer account associated with a provider of goods or services. The method distributes the account payment card to the customer; presents the account payment card at a point-of-sale (POS) location; reads or otherwise obtains information thereon from the account payment card Receiving the value from the customer; crediting the value received from the customer to the customer's account associated with the goods or services provider; and the bill payment card is the goods or services provider Sufficient information to identify the customer and the customer's account related to the product or service provider. The system may include an account payment card, a provider of goods or services, and a POS.

  The invention will be more fully understood by reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements, and in which:

  Before describing any embodiments of the present invention in detail, it should be understood that the application of the present invention should not be limited to the structure and configuration details of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. Should. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. It should also be understood that the phrases and terminology used herein are for descriptive purposes only and should not be considered limiting.

Detailed Description of Embodiments

  Many wireless telephone users and other recipients of goods and / or services utilize prepaid account configurations that require payment before services are provided. It should be understood that a prepaid wireless telephone service provider is used here for exemplary purposes only. The present invention relates to any goods and / or services and any providers of goods and / or services. Examples of prepaid services that may be supported by memory value cards include: Internet-enabled communication services including long-distance telephony, wireless communications, paging and wireless web access, emergency road services, legal services, accounting services, tax services, property cleaning and / or maintenance services, clothing cleaning services, transportation Services, travel services, delivery services, online (or offline) dating services, electricity and / or gas services, water services, sewer services, Internet access, and film processing (including digital film processing). Other examples of prepaid services and / or products that may be supported by a memory value card include: That is, gift card, prepaid gas card, prepaid grocery card, prepaid entertainment card, prepaid movie card, downloadable ringtone card, downloadable game card, downloadable movie card, MP3, MP4, WMV, WAV, or Downloadable music cards that use other music formats, any other downloadable software cards, customer reward cards, bridge and / or road toll cards, and cards for products, services, or both Any other type of memory value card that may be prepaid by the owner.

  Prepaid customers pay in cooperation with a telecommunications company that withdraws payments directly from the customer's account for the services provided. The present invention provides an easy-to-use process for the customer through a combination of technologies, which provides a service value for his customer account maintained by the telecommunications company so that the customer can obtain the required service. I.e. cash or usage credits can be added by the customer, and this carrier can be selected from a group of participating carriers.

  In one aspect of the invention, the central system manages the process that allows the customer to add service value to the customer's account. The central system maintains a set of identifiers, or personal identification numbers (“PINs”), each identifier having an associated service value, which is the amount of money (ie, dollars, eg, $ 10, $ 25, or $ 50) or some unit of service usage (ie, minutes) is preferred. Further, an indicia associated with the identifier is distributed to the merchant for distribution to the customer. In one example, indicia may be distributed on magnetic stripe cards with a predetermined value, such as $ 10, $ 25, and $ 50 cards. It should be understood that each indicia, or item with an indicia, is associated with only one identifier maintained in the central system. Thus, each distributed card is linked to only one identifier maintained in the central system.

  Once the customer selects an indicia or an item with an indicia, the customer pays for the service value associated with the identifier represented by the indicia. For example, a customer pays $ 25 for a $ 25 card associated with an identifier associated with a service value of $ 25. The merchant sends a communication to the central system confirming the transaction with the customer so that the identifier can be activated in the central system. Following the instructions provided with the indicia, the customer contacts the central system to add service value to the customer's account. The customer provides input representing the activated identifier and customer account information to the central system. Customer account information can also be used to identify the customer's telecommunications company.

  When the identifier and customer account information are verified, the central system communicates with the customer carrier system to add service value to the customer's account. Following service value insertion, the customer's updated account information is obtained and provided to the customer. It should be understood that in at least one embodiment of the present invention, some telecommunications companies do not provide direct service value insertion for customer accounts by the central system. For such telecommunications companies, the system provides an alternative telecommunications company identifier to transfer the customer to the telecommunications company system to complete the service value insertion.

  As can be seen from the above example, the central system acts as an intermediary between customers, merchants, and telecommunications companies. The central system maintains a configuration with several telecommunications companies to enable value insertion and become a broker for prepaid communications services. Customers benefit from having access to resources that can be acquired at several points of sale, allowing an easy way to replenish service value for a large number of participating carriers. Telecom companies benefit from having products in the market that allow customers to replenish customer account balances more easily. Finally, merchants benefit from increased sales because merchants sell products that are in demand because they are the only products that customers can choose from a number of telecommunications companies.

  In at least one implementation of the present invention, the central system manages at least one relational database of information, and the various users of the central system (ie, customers, merchants, etc.) for the various functions and interfaces of the present invention. And administrator) access. Relational database systems allow information contained in different tables to be accessed and shared, and any other change in which data contained in one table of a relational database shares the same data. Provides the additional benefit of being reflected in the same data in the table. A table is a collection of several data records with similar data information fields. A data record represents a collection of data organized into fields. These fields may also be formatted to receive various types of data. Thus, a central system or system user can process the data included in various data tables and records used to achieve the features of the present invention, query the data, or report the data. it can. In one aspect of the invention, the various databases may include, for example, a set of identifiers and a mobile identification number (“MIN”).

Method of supplying communication service value
An exemplary flow chart illustrating a method for providing communication services according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1 and described below.

  The process begins at step S1 and proceeds to step S20, which includes establishing a set of identifiers with associated service values. As explained above, each identifier forms part of a data record or identifier record, which allows the central system to identify a specific associated service value, which is later Will be sold. One example of an identifier is a personal identification number (“PIN”). The PIN constitutes one field of the identifier record, and another field in the same identifier record contains the associated service value. By way of example, record X may have an identifier ABC and an associated service value of $ 25. The service value is preferably the amount of money (ie, $ 10, $ 25, or $ 50, for example), but if supported by the carrier system, some unit of service usage (ie, Minutes).

  A set of identifiers forms an identifier database. Each identifier record also includes a status indicator (ie, whether the identifier is active or inactive), a serial number, a Visa account network number (VAN), or a merchant It may contain a field for an identifying merchant code, through which the identifier will be distributed.

  Following the establishment of the set of identifiers, in step S40, the process includes distributing an indicia of identifiers for distribution to the customer to the merchant. As indicated above, the indicia provides information related to the identifier for several reasons. Initially, the indicia enables the merchant to communicate the identifier to the central system, which must be activated following distribution. Similarly, the information conveyed by the indicia enables the customer to communicate the identifier and the service value purchased to the central system when the indicia is later obtained from the merchant. It should be understood that the indicia may also include any item with such information. In other aspects, the indicia may provide instructions to the customer to communicate with the central system.

  The indicia may include items such as magnetic stripe cards, smart cards, barcoded cards, or any combination thereof. Either the magnetic stripe, chip, or bar code will contain information representing the card's identifier. Thus, when completing the sale of the card to the customer, the merchant may pass the card through a reader through the network terminal, or alternatively, scan the barcode on the card. The merchant's system will then find the location of the identifier and notify the central system of the sale of the item with the associated identifier.

  The card may also display the identifier so that the customer can communicate the identifier to the central system so that the customer can utilize the card at the time of purchase. In addition, the card will display the service value associated with the identifier displayed on the card, prompting the customer to purchase the correct card. Finally, the card will contain instructions for communicating with the central system, ie a general toll-free number.

  Indicia may be provided to the customer through delivering a receipt or other notice. In such an embodiment, the customer will initiate a purchase transaction at the point of sale, either through the merchant or through a system device such as a Verifone terminal. The customer requests some prepaid service value and upon payment, the central system will deliver the identifier to the point of sale for distribution to the customer.

  Next, in step S60, the process includes activating the identifier in distributing the indicia to the customer. As explained above, following the communication from the merchant that the indicia has been distributed to the customer, the identifier may be activated. This measure helps prevent theft of indicia before payment. Activation may include changing a status indicator associated with a particular identifier record from inactive to active. Communication between the merchant and the central system preferably includes a “host-to-host connection, or Visa net connection”, but communication between the merchant and the central system requires the central system to provide input confirming the transaction. Any network communication received from the merchant system may be included. Accordingly, the features of the present invention are described in US Application Serial No. 09 / 641,363 (Attorney Docket No. 431827.00007), filed on August 18, 2000, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Any of the features described may be used or combined with any of these features.

  Following distribution of the indicia to the customer, in step S80, the process includes receiving a request from the customer to add the service value associated with the identifier to the customer account. In one embodiment of the present invention, the central system includes an interactive voice response (“IVR”) system for handling requests, allowing customers to contact the IVR system through a dedicated telephone number. When calling a number, the customer is presented with a series of voice prompts, process selections, and other options that help the customer in requesting that the purchased service value be added to the customer account.

  The IVR system may be configured to provide voice prompts to the customer, the voice prompts requesting customer input, accepting customer input (ie, for example, by capturing DTMF), It should be understood that the customer input is processed to provide an appropriate response and take the required action. The customer request includes the entire communication session with the customer's central system, i.e., the customer's interaction with the IVR system. In the following, any request for customer input by the IVR system may be in the form of a voice prompt or message, which may require the customer to select a number option on the telephone keypad. You should understand that. Although automated use is contemplated, at any time during communication with the IVR system, the customer may choose the option to provide a transfer to the customer service personnel, and the customer service personnel complete the transaction for the customer right.

  Further, the IVR system may be configured to accept customer input that meets certain criteria, such as the correct number of digits. The IVR system is configured to allow the customer to repeatedly enter if the customer input does not meet a predetermined standard (ie, the 10 digit telephone number when the IVR system requests the customer's MIN). Alternatively, the IVR system may be configured to forward the customer to a customer service representative when a predetermined number of inappropriate inputs are received. The IVR system also provides language selection (i.e., a customer selects a language such as English, Spanish, French, German for voice prompts), customer selection confirmation function, help function, customer instruction or It may be configured to provide other navigation functions and may be able to access these functions at any time during communication with the central system.

  Although the above example described accessing a central system through the use of an IVR system, access to the central system may be achieved by: Any suitable communication interface; Ethernet connection; modem; telephone; wireless communication device (ie mobile phone, PDA, or other handheld wireless communication device), point-of-sale device or transceiver device (ie Digital or analog communication with the system using, for example, Verifone terminals; token ring; Internet or intranet or other computer connection; or the customer receives input from the central system through the network connection and outputs to the central system Any other suitable connection that allows you to send.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating in more detail the step “Receiving from a customer a request to add a service value associated with an identifier to a customer account” of FIG. 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The request from the customer to add service value to the customer account includes an identifier input representing the identifier associated with the purchased indicia (ie, PIN) and an input from the customer indicating the customer's account (ie, Customer mobile identification number) that allows the central system to identify the customer telecommunications company. Thus, as shown in FIG. 2, the process continues to step S80 and proceeds to step S100 where the identifier is verified. Following the verification of the identifier, the customer account information is verified in step S120.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating in more detail the “identifier verification” step of FIG. 2, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the process continues to step S100 and proceeds to step S102 where the IVR system requests an identifier input from the customer (ie, a voice prompt requesting a PIN from a card, for example). In step S104, the system accepts an identifier (ie, PIN provided on the card) input from the customer. Next, in step S106, the system determines whether the identifier input corresponds to an identifier from a set of identifiers maintained by the central system. The central system compares the PIN provided by the customer with the PIN maintained in the identifier database. If a record is found in the database that includes the PIN provided by the customer, the process proceeds to step S108. If the identifier is found in the database, in step S108, the system determines whether the identifier is active. By associating a status indicator associated with the identifier record, the status of the identifier can be determined. Thus, when the central system finds the identifier record, the central system can determine whether the value in the status indicator field represents an active status or an inactive status. If the identifier is found in the database and is active, in step S110, the system determines whether the identifier has already been redeemed. This feature allows the central system to notify the customer that the identifier has already been redeemed. In some circumstances, the customer communication session with the central system may be terminated early before confirmation of the value insertion procedure. When this happens, the customer may not be aware that the value insertion function was completed during the previous call. Thus, if the customer has previously called within a certain period (ie, the last 24 hours), the central system can inform the customer that the value insertion was successful. If the identifier has not been redeemed, the process proceeds to step S116.

  In step S106, if the identifier is not found in the database, or if the identifier is found in the database but is determined in step S108 to be inactive, or the identifier is found in the database and is active. If it is determined in step S110 that it has already been redeemed, the process proceeds to step S112. In step S112, the system determines whether an identifier check has been previously performed, and if so, the process proceeds to step S114 where the customer is transferred to customer service. If the customer previously provided an identifier input and the input does not satisfy any of the decisions in steps S106, S108 or S110, a previous identifier check will have occurred. If the identifier has not been previously checked, the process returns to step S102 where the system requests that the customer re-enter the identifier input.

  For identifiers that are found in the system that are active and not redeemed, in step S116, the system determines the service value associated with the identifier. The process then proceeds to step S119 where the process returns to step S120.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating in more detail the “customer account information verification” step of FIG. 2 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The customer supplies his customer account information to ensure that the purchased service value is credited to the correct customer account, ie mobile identifier number (“MIN”), in the correct carrier system. As shown in FIG. 4, the process continues to step S120 and proceeds to step S121. Initially, in step S121, when the customer contacts the central system, the system determines whether the customer MIN has been captured. The customer's MIN can be captured using automatic number identification ("ANI") or similar caller ID functionality. Through ANI, the central system obtains the customer's MIN from the ISDN transmission. Alternatively, the customer may supply his MIN upon request. This will allow the customer to see which MIN account should be credited with prepaid service value.

  If the customer's MIN has not yet been captured, the process proceeds to step S127. If the MIN has been captured, the process proceeds to step S122 where the system determines whether the customer's MIN is found in the MIN database. The MIN database is a collection of existing MINs, including each MIN and its associated telecommunications company. The MIN database may be stored locally in the central system or may be maintained externally in a publicly accessible database, such as Telcordia®. This database may also include those created in compliance with the Wireless Local Number Portability Act. If the MIN is not found in the MIN database, the process proceeds to step S123. When the MIN is not found in the MIN database, the customer may contact the central system using a non-wireless phone or other non-phone connection, and the MIN that the customer wishes to add service value to The system prompts the customer to enter. If the MIN is found in the MIN database, the process proceeds to step S125.

  In step S123, the system determines whether the customer's MIN was previously requested from the customer. If so, the process proceeds to step S124 where the customer is transferred to a customer service representative. If the customer's MIN has not been previously requested, the process proceeds to step S127.

  In step S125, the system determines whether the customer has entered his MIN. If so, the process proceeds to step S129. If the customer has not entered his MIN, the process proceeds to step S126 where the system determines whether the customer MIN has been verified. Confirmation includes input from the customer that the identified MIN is the correct account to add service value. If the MIN is confirmed, the process proceeds to step S129.

  Alternatively, if the customer MIN is not verified, the process proceeds to step S127 where the system requests that the customer provide an input representing the customer's MIN, and a service value addition is requested for the customer's MIN. Next, in step S128, the system accepts the customer's MIN input and then returns to step S121.

  In step S129, the system determines the customer telecommunications company. The carrier can be determined by finding the location of the identified MIN in the MIN database and associating the associated carrier. Once the telecommunications company is determined, in step S130, the system determines whether the customer must supply the telecommunications company region code based on the customer's telecommunications company. If not, the process skips to step S138. If a telecommunications company region code is requested, in step S132, the system requests the customer's telecommunications company region code. A telecommunications company region code may be required for a telecommunications company having a regional center that maintains local mobile phone customer data. The communication company region code may be represented by the customer's ZIP code.

  In step S133, the system accepts the customer telecommunications company region code and the process proceeds to step S134. In step S134, the system determines whether the telecommunications company region code is valid. If the code is associated with a region code maintained in a carrier specific region code database, the code will be assumed to be valid. If the code is simply the customer's ZIP code, the system can determine the appropriate carrier area by referring to the carrier database. If the code is not valid, the process returns to step S132, where the system requests re-entering of the region code. If the code is valid, the process proceeds to step S135, where the system establishes a relationship between the customer's MIN and the carrier region code, so that a code request will occur during subsequent interactions. prevent. The process then proceeds to step S138 where the process returns to S139.

  After receiving the customer request, in step S140, the process includes adding the associated service value to the customer account. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating in more detail the “Add Associated Service Value to Customer Account” step of FIG. 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The process continues to step S140, and then proceeds to step S141, where the system determines whether the customer's telecommunications company supports the insertion of a service value value into the telecommunications company's customer account. If the telecommunications company supports direct value insertion, the process proceeds to step S144 and the system accesses the telecommunications company system. Next, in step S145, the system requests authorization from the telecommunications company system to add the service value associated with the identifier to the customer's account. In step S146, the system determines whether the value addition request has been granted. If so, the process proceeds to step S148, where the system adds the service value to the customer's account and then proceeds to step S150, where the system obtains updated customer account information from the carrier company system. . This updated account information may include, for example, the new account balance and the account expiration date. The process then proceeds to step S152.

  However, if, in step S146, the system determines that the add value request has not been authorized, the process proceeds to step S147, where the system obtains a reason from the telecommunications company system that the value insertion was not authorized. The process then proceeds to step S152 where the system ends the communication session with the telecommunications company system. The process then proceeds to step S159 where the process returns to step S160.

  For carriers that do not support direct value insertion, in step S142, the system provides the customer with an alternative carrier identifier. This carrier company identifier operates in the same manner as the identifier used by the central system, however, the carrier company identifier must be redeemed through communication with the carrier company system. These telecommunications company identifiers may be maintained in a separate telecommunications company identifier database. Accordingly, in step S143, the system transfers the customer to the IVR system managed by the telecommunications company system and completes the value exchange.

  Returning to FIG. 1, in step S160, the process includes providing a customer account summary to the customer. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating in more detail the “provide customer account summary” step of FIG. 1 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The process continues to step S160, and then proceeds to step S162, where the system determines whether value insertion has been authorized by the telecommunications company system. If so, the process proceeds to step S164 where the system provides the customer with updated customer account information. The process then proceeds to step S169. If value insertion is not authorized, the process proceeds to step S166 where the system provides the customer with a reason for the rejection of the request. These reasons may be that the customer balance in the customer account is already too high or exceeds a pre-defined limit, the account cannot be found by the carrier, the account has been canceled, or any An unspecified telecommunications company error may be included. The process then proceeds to step S169 where the process returns to step S199. Once the system provides the customer account summary to the customer, the process proceeds to step S199, where the process ends.

  It should be understood that the method described herein may be adapted so that each indicia of the distributed identifier may not have a predetermined associated service value. In this regard, the indicia includes an identifier, but the customer is allowed to select the service value to purchase for the card. Thus, during card distribution, the customer will select a service value such as $ 25 for insertion into the record in the central system. A communication from the merchant will notify the central system of the amount purchased, and the amount purchased will then be inserted into the associated service value field for recording.

  There may be various other embodiments without departing from the invention. In accordance with some embodiments of the present invention, value insertion for goods or services other than communication services may occur at the POS. In such a method, the POS may transfer value from the customer to the goods or service provider.

  For example, a customer may provide POS with information about a specific account for goods or services, and the customer desires to provide value for this account. Value may be provided (ie, prepaid) prior to any purchase or use, or may be provided (ie, account payment) after purchase or use. The customer may provide sufficient information to identify the particular account that the customer wishes to transfer value to. The customer may identify a particular account by providing an account number or other account identifier to the POS, or by providing customer identification information (eg, name, social security number, etc.). Alternatively, the customer may provide an account payment card to the POS, and such necessary account and payment information is encoded on the account payment card. For example, the account payment card may include information identifying the customer (eg, name, account number, address, etc.) and information identifying the product or service provider (eg, financial institution routing number, value The account receiving the transfer, etc.) and the payment is sent to the provider of the goods or services.

  The bill payment card may include this information in any machine-readable format, which includes, but is not limited to, magnetic stripes, bar codes, smart chips, and the like. With reference to FIG. 11, a method for inserting value into a particular account for goods or services in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention will now be described. In step 1110, the customer may provide an account payment card to the POS. The POS may take many forms, including but not limited to a merchant POS, an automated teller machine (ATM), or a dedicated kiosk.

  In step 1120, the POS reads the customer's bill payment card and identifies the customer's account associated with a particular provider of goods or services. In step 1130, the customer may make a payment to the POS. Such payment may be in the form of cash, credit, value transfer, or memory value. In step 1140, the amount paid by the customer is credited to the customer's account associated with the provider of goods or services, and in step 1150, a settlement occurs between the POS and the provider.

  Variations of the above method are possible and contemplated by the present invention. For example, referring to FIG. 12, a method for inserting value into a particular account for goods or services according to some embodiments of the present invention will now be described. In step 1210, the customer may provide an account payment card to the POS. At step 1220, the POS may read the bill payment card to obtain indicia representing the customer and information associated with the central processor. The central processor may be a third party for the transaction or may exist as an entity of a product or service provider. In step 1230, the POS may contact the central processor and provide an indication of the customer. At step 1240, the central processor may look up the indicia to obtain information about the customer (eg, name, address, account, etc.). As described above, the customer then makes a payment to the POS at step 1260. Alternatively, at step 1250, the central processor may determine how much the customer should pay for a particular provider of goods or services, and at step 1255, the POS may inform the customer of this amount. In step 1280, the payment is credited to the goods or service provider. Alternatively, an intermediary transfer may occur at step 1270 where the payment may be credited first to the central processor and then credited to the provider. Step 1270 may be desirable to maintain a trusted third party that is neutral between both sides of the transaction. In step 1290, liquidation may occur and the process may be completed.

  With reference to FIG. 13, a method for inserting value into an existing account associated with a particular provider of goods or services will now be described in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention. In step 1310, the customer may provide an account payment card to the POS. In step 1320, the POS may read the card and obtain information about the central processor and indicia representing the customer. In step 1330, the POS may contact the central processor and provide an indication. At step 1340, based on the indication provided, the central processor may look up the customer and obtain information associated with the customer. Such information may include, but is not limited to, the following: name, address, financial account associated with the customer, etc. In step 1350, the central processor may return information about the financial account associated with the customer to the POS, which may then provide such information to the customer.

  At this point, optionally in step 1360, the central processor returns the amount to be paid by the customer to the POS, and in step 1365, the POS returns this amount to be paid to the customer. Instead, these steps may be omitted.

  Next, at step 1370, the customer may determine whether he or she wishes to make payments to the POS or at step 1380, of the financial accounts associated with the customer. It may be determined whether the customer wishes to authorize a transfer from one (eg, a transfer from the customer's check account). If in step 1370 the customer makes a payment to the POS, then in step 1375 the payment may be credited to the central processor or credited directly to the provider. In step 1380, if the customer chooses to transfer the value from his or her associated financial account, then the value may be transferred from the customer's financial account to the central processor, or alternatively Value may be transferred directly to the provider. In step 1390, settlement may occur between the POS, the central processor, and the goods or service provider.

  For example, a system in a method where an account payment card is pre-associated with a particular claimant or provider is contemplated. Such pre-associated cards may be purchased or provided to the customer by a particular biller or provider. Users of such pre-associated cards may therefore transfer funds to a specific claimant or provider through the use of an intermediary. The broker may be contacted by telephone, the Internet, or other network system. It is contemplated that a user of such a pre-associated account payment card may provide an account payment card to a third party merchant and make a payment, and the third party merchant sends a payment to the central processor. Contact may provide information encoded on the bill payment card to the central processor. The user may inform the central processor via a third party merchant how much he or she wants to pay the biller or provider. The central processor may contact a third party merchant and insert the value selected by the user into the user's account. Contact between the central processor and the biller or provider may occur in real time or may occur periodically, i.e., in batch transfers. The third party merchant may receive payment from the user, and the central processor and the third party merchant may be cleared by ACH or other such payment system.

Exemplary communication service value system
As described above, FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary system for providing communication service value, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 illustrates a central system 10, a plurality of customer systems 20, 22, and 24, a plurality of merchant systems 40, 42, and 44, and a plurality of telecommunications company systems 60, 62, and 64. Each customer system 20, 22, and 24 selectively communicates with the central system 10 through a customer network 19. Each merchant system 40, 42, and 44 selectively communicates with central system 10 through merchant network 39. Each telecommunications company system 60, 62, and 64 selectively communicates with the central system 10 through the telecommunications company network 59. It should be understood that customer network 19, merchant network 39, and telecommunications company network 59 may be the same network in some embodiments of the invention.

  The central system 10 includes a processor unit 12, a memory unit 14, and a user interface unit 16, which processes input from various customer, merchant, and telecommunications company systems that communicate with the central system 10 and provides a variety of Generating output for customer, merchant, and telecommunications company systems; processor portion 12 retrieves data for use by central system 10 from memory portion 14 and stores data for use by central system 10 in memory portion 14; The user interface unit 16 accepts input from various customer, merchant, and telecommunications company systems that communicate with the central system 10 and sends output to the various customer, merchant, and telecommunications company systems. Each of the processor unit 12, the memory unit 14, and the user interface unit 16 is connected to and communicates with each other through the data bus 11. It should be understood that the IVR system may utilize components from each of the processor unit 12, the memory unit 14, and the user interface unit 16.

  The processor unit 12 monitors and controls various operations of the central system 10. Initially, the processor unit 12 processes the information provided by the merchant system 40 when confirming the distribution of the indicia, and when accessing the central system 10 or making a request to the central system 10, the customer system Process the information provided by 20. Customers accessing the central system 10 provide customer input through the use of the user interface shown by the user interface portion 16, which includes voice prompts and options shown by the IVR system.

  Memory section 14 serves as a memory store for a wide variety of data used by processor section 12 and other components of central system 10. For example, in one embodiment, the memory portion 14 includes various databases of identifiers and service values associated therewith, MINs, telecommunications companies, and other information, the other information including the central system and IVR. Is required by the system. It should be understood that the various memory components included in the memory portion 14 may exhibit a variety of architectures as required or desired by a particular operating environment. Further, the various memory components of the memory section 14 may exchange data using known techniques such as relational database technology, or may utilize other memory component data.

  The user interface unit 16 provides an interface through which a user can provide input to the central system 10 and receive output from the central system 10. The user interface unit 16 generally provides interactive capabilities for communicating with customer, merchant, and telecommunications company systems. User interface portion 16 is controlled by processor portion 12 or components thereof to interface with a customer or other operating system, which includes inputting and outputting data or information related to central system 10. The user interface unit 16 also provides an interface between the system administrator, the central system 10, and other remote systems. The system administrator mainly manages the storage of data and information in the memory unit 14 using the user interface unit 16 and provides updates to the applications and functions of the central system 10.

  In operation, a customer utilizing the appropriate customer system 20 accesses the central system 10 through the customer network 19. Customer system 20 may be any suitable processing machine networked to customer network 19, which may be a mobile phone, a computer accessing the Internet, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or Like other wireless communication devices. The merchant system 40 may be any suitable processing machine, receives input from the central system, prints indicia or other information, performs smart card or magnetic stripe card reader or bar code scanning functions, and outputs Includes a transceiver device (ie, a Verifone terminal, for example) that can be sent to the central system 10. Thus, in one embodiment of the present invention, the card is passed through a reader through an appropriate card interface on the merchant transceiver to activate the identifier upon payment, which is a network connection to the central system 10. Where the central system 10 activates the identifier in the appropriate database.

  The user interface unit 16 also transmits data to the customer system 20 to accept input to the user interface on the customer system 20 and indicate that the customer can send output to the central system 10. Although these user interfaces have been described with respect to the IVR system, alternative user interfaces may be presented on the Internet web page, which allows the customer to access the page and provide the required redemption information in the appropriate form. May be.

  Although several customer systems and several merchant systems are shown in FIG. 7, in one embodiment of the present invention, a single customer system, each selectively in network communication with the central system 10, It should be understood that there may be a single merchant system.

  The user interface unit 16 accepts customer requests for value insertion from the customer system 20, which includes identifier input and customer account input. The processor unit 12 checks the identifier input against an identifier database maintained in the memory unit 14 and then checks the customer account input against the MIN database, which is maintained locally in the memory unit 14. Or may be maintained externally in a database of MINs available to the public. The user interface unit 16 then communicates with the telecommunications company system 60 to complete the value insertion process and then provide the customer account summary to the customer.

  It should be understood that the present invention may include a device for distributing communication service values. Such devices may include a distribution terminal (ie, a device such as a Verifone terminal, or a device such as a vending machine), where the distribution terminal selects the value of the prepaid service for purchase, and this Allows customers to pay for service value. The terminal has a product selector (ie, some user interface for accepting customer choices, for example) that presents the various service value par value available (ie, for example, in cash or magnetic stripe card). A payment unit that receives payment from the customer (or through a smart card reader), a communication unit (ie, a modem, for example) that notifies the central system of the sale of the indicia and the need to activate the associated identifier; And a delivery unit that provides an indicia of the identifier (ie, a mechanical card delivery system or printer means for providing printed indicia).

  As explained above, FIGS. 1-6 illustrate various embodiments of the method of the present invention. FIG. 7 represents an exemplary embodiment of the system of the present invention. It should be understood that the system of the present invention or a portion of the system of the present invention may be in the form of a “processing machine” such as a general purpose computer or other network operating system. As used herein, the term “processing machine” should be understood to include at least one processor using at least one memory. The at least one memory stores a set of instructions. The instructions may be stored either permanently or temporarily in the memory of the processing machine. The processor executes instructions stored in the memory to process the data. A set of instructions may include various instructions that perform a specific task, such as the task described by the flowchart above. Such a set of instructions that perform a particular task may be characterized as a program, a software program, or simply software.

  As mentioned above, the processing machine executes instructions stored in memory to process data. The processing of this data may be, for example, in response to a command by a user of the processing machine, may be in response to a previous process, requested by another processing machine and / or any other arbitrary It may be a response to the input.

  As mentioned above, the processing machine used to implement the invention may be a general purpose computer. However, the processing machine described above may also utilize any of a wide variety of other technologies, including: A computer system including a microcomputer, mini-computer, or mainframe; a program microprocessor; a microcontroller; a peripheral integrated circuit component; a CSIC (dedicated integrated circuit) or an ASIC (application specific integration) Circuit) or other integrated circuit; logic circuit; digital signal processor; programmable logic device such as FPGA, PLD, PLA, or PAL; or any other that can implement the process steps of the present invention A device or configuration of multiple devices.

  It will be understood that it is not essential that the processor and / or memory of a processing machine be physically located at the same geographical location in order to implement the inventive method described above. That is, each of the processors and memory used in the present invention may be located in geographically distinct locations and may be connected to communicate in any suitable manner. It is further understood that each of the processor and / or memory may be comprised of a different physical device component. Thus, it is not essential that the processor be a single device part at one location and that the memory be another single device part at another location. That is, it is contemplated that the processor may be two device parts at two different physical locations. The two separate device parts may be connected in any suitable manner. Further, the memory may include two or more memory portions at two or more physical locations.

  More specifically, the processing described above is performed by various components and various memories. However, it is understood that the processing performed by one component described above may be performed by a single component in accordance with further embodiments of the present invention. Further, the processing performed by one unique component described above may be performed by two separate components. In a similar manner, the memory storage performed by the two separate memory portions described above may be performed by a single memory portion, according to a further embodiment of the invention. Further, the memory storage performed by one unique memory unit described above may be performed by two memory units.

  In addition, various techniques may be used to provide communication between various processors and / or memories, and to allow the processor and / or memory of the present invention to communicate with any other entity. That is, for example, to obtain further instructions or to access and utilize remote memory storage. The technology used to provide such communication can be, for example, a network, dedicated circuit, IP-based connection, Internet, intranet, extranet, LAN, WAN, VPN, Ethernet, or any client that provides communication May include server systems. Such communication technologies include TCP / IP, UDP, OSI, SNA, X. Any suitable protocol such as 25, ISO 85/83, XML, or SOAP may be used.

  As explained above, a set of instructions is used in the processing of the present invention. The set of instructions may be in the form of a program or software. The software may be in the form of system software or application software, for example. The software may also be in the form of, for example, a collection of individual programs, program modules within a larger program, or program module portions. The software used may also include modular programming in the form of object-oriented programming. The software may tell the processing machine what to do with the data being processed.

  Further, it is to be understood that the instruction or set of instructions used in the implementation and operation of the present invention may be in any form that a processing machine may read the instructions. For example, the instructions that form the program may be in the form of a suitable programming language that is translated into machine language or object code to allow the processor to read the instructions. That is, a line of programming code or source code written in a particular programming language is converted into machine language using a compiler, assembler, or interpreter. A machine language is a binary coded machine instruction that is dedicated to a particular type of processing machine, i.e., dedicated to a particular type of computer, for example. Computers understand machine language.

  Any suitable programming language may be used in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. By way of example, the programming languages used may include: That is, for example, assembly language, Ada, APL, Basic, C, C ++, COBOL, dBase, Forth, Fortran, Java (registered trademark), Modula-2, Pascal, Prolog, REXX, Visual Basic, and / or JavaScript. Moreover, it is not essential to utilize a single type of instruction or a single programming language in connection with the operation of the system and method of the present invention. Rather, any number of different programming languages may be utilized as needed or desired.

  Also, the instructions and / or data used in the practice of the present invention may utilize any compression or encryption technique or algorithm, as desired. An encryption module may be used to encrypt the data. Further, for example, a file or other data may be decrypted using a suitable decryption module.

  As described above, the present invention may be implemented by way of example in the form of a processing machine including, for example, a computer or computer system, where the computer or computer system includes at least one memory. It is understood that a set of instructions, ie, software that, for example, allows a computer operating system to perform the operations described above, may be contained in any of a wide variety of media. Further, data processed by a set of instructions may also be stored on any of a wide variety of media. That is, the particular medium utilized to hold the set of instructions and / or data used in the present invention, i.e., the memory in the processing machine, may be in any of a variety of physical forms or transmissions, for example. May be. For example, the medium is paper, OHP sheet paper, compact disk, DVD, integrated circuit, hard disk, floppy disk, optical disk, magnetic tape, RAM, ROM, PROM, EPROM, wire, cable, fiber, communication It may be in the form of any other medium or data source that may be read by the processor of the present invention, along with channels, satellite transmissions or other remote transmissions.

  Further, the memory used in the processing machine implementing the present invention may be in any of a wide variety of forms that allow the memory to hold instructions, data, or other information, as desired. . Thus, the memory may take the form of a database that holds data. The database may use any desired file configuration such as, for example, a flat file configuration or a relational database configuration.

  In the system and method of the present invention, various “user interfaces” are utilized to allow the user to interface with the processing machine used to implement the present invention. As used herein, a user interface includes any hardware, software, or combination of hardware and software used by a processing machine to allow a user to interact with the processing machine. The user interface may include a series of interactive voice responses, for example, or may take the form of a dialog screen. The user interface may be in the form of a web page or other interactive application that is presented on the customer's system by the customer's browser. A web page or application can include fields for accepting data and for sending data to an advertising marketing system for storage. The user interface may also include any of the following: That is, a mouse, touch screen, keyboard, keypad, card slot, voice reader, voice recognizer, dialog screen, menu box, list, check box, toggle switch, push button, or device processes a set of instructions Any other device that allows a user to receive information regarding the operation of the processing machine when and / or when providing information to the processing machine. Thus, a user interface is any device that provides communication between a user and a processing machine. Information provided to the processing machine by the user through the user interface may be, for example, a command, a selection of data, or any other form of input.

  As explained above, the user interface is utilized by the processing machine, which executes a set of instructions so that the processing machine processes the data for the user. The user interface is typically used by a processing machine that interacts with the user to convey information to or receive information from the user. However, it is understood that according to some embodiments of the system and method of the present invention, it is not essential that the human user actually interact with the user interface used by the processing machine of the present invention. Rather, it is contemplated that the user interface of the present invention may interact with other processing machines, i.e. convey and receive information, rather than a human user. Thus, other processing machines may be characterized as users. Furthermore, it is contemplated that the user interface utilized in the systems and methods of the present invention may interact partially with other processing machines while also partially interacting with human users.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing communication services. This method is very similar to the method of FIG. 1 described above. However, in this embodiment, the associated service value is not initially pre-established; instead, when the associated service value is selected by the customer when distributing the identifier to the customer. It is determined. In this regard, the indicia will include an identifier, but the customer may be able to select a service value such as $ 25 or $ 50 and insert this service value into the record in the central system. . As previously stated, service value may alternatively be other units of service usage, such as minutes. The communication from the merchant will inform the central system of the amount purchased, and this information will then be inserted into the associated service value field for recording.

  Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 8, in step S20A, a set of unidentified identifiers with associated service values is established. Next, in step S40, as shown in FIG. 1, the identifier for distribution to the customer is distributed to the merchant. Unlike FIG. 1, the process proceeds to step S50 where the customer selects an associated service value such as $ 10, $ 25, or $ 50. Next, in step S60A, when distributing the sign to the customer, the identifier is activated and the associated service value is recorded. In step S80A, a request is received from a customer to add a service value associated with the identifier to a customer account. This step is described in more detail in FIG. 9 described below. Finally, in step S140, the associated service value is added to the customer account, and in step S160, a customer account summary is provided.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating in more detail the step “Receive Request from Customer to Add Service Value Associated with Identifier to Customer Account” of FIG. 8 according to one embodiment of the present invention. This flowchart shows step S80A shown in FIG. 8 in more detail. The flowchart of FIG. 8 follows the same process as described in FIG. However, in this embodiment, after the identifiers are verified in step S100, it is explicitly shown in step S101 that a telecommunications company customer selection for the service is received from among a plurality of telecommunications companies. The process then proceeds to step S120, as in FIG. 2, where the customer account information is verified.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for inserting value and recharging a stored value account in accordance with the present invention. The steps of this process should be read in view of other figures, in particular Figure 1 and its related figures.

  In step 1001, the customer selects a card. The customer may select a card from a plurality of different cards. Cards may be associated with different values and different providers. Associate the card with one or more prepaid services, such as wireless telecommunication services. For example, a customer may select a card that allows a $ 40 wireless call service by a particular provider.

  In a preferred embodiment, the card has an associated PIN, a serial number (in the form of a bar code or magnetically stored number), and a card number.

  The PIN or other number may be hidden on the card so that the PIN or other number is not visible until after purchase. For example, the PIN may have a material that covers and hides the PIN, and this material may be scraped off with coins after purchase. Alternatively, an opaque adhesive tape may be used to temporarily prevent the PIN from being viewed until after purchase. These and other methods for protecting valuable card information are well known to those skilled in the art.

  The PIN may be a unique identifier for a particular card, such as a randomly generated number. The associated barcode number may be printed on the card so that the associated barcode number can be scanned (or passed through a reader) at the merchant terminal at the point of sale. . The use of bar codes and magnetic stripes is well known to those skilled in the art. The card number may be other numbers associated with the card for other purposes. For example, this may be a provider routing number. There may also be a number printed on the card according to government guidelines or other norms.

  Card information such as PIN numbers, associated barcodes and / or magnetically stored serial numbers, values, and card numbers may be stored in a database at the central processor. These numbers may be related together in a single entry for a single stored value card. By associating these numbers together in a single entry, the central processor may later determine other associated numbers after receiving a single number, such as a PIN.

  These numbers and other indicia may be printed on the card. For example, the name of the service provider and the value of the card may be printed on the card. The card may also indicate activation information that instructs the customer how to activate the card. Redemption information includes 1-800 numbers (or other 8xxx numbers or other telephone numbers); IVR input codes or series of inputs; websites; and / or access to central system and / or redeem cards Or other information or instructions for changing the customer account. The redemption instruction information may be printed on the card or printed on a receipt and provided to the customer upon purchase of the card.

  Different instructions may be associated with different cards. For example, a card associated with one service provider may have different instructions than a card associated with a different service provider, such as a different 1-800 number. The different 1-800 numbers, websites, or inputs allow the central processor to distinguish provider identifiers, or other characteristics of the card, based on the method used to access the central system.

  In step 1002, the customer purchases a card. The merchant (or customer) scans the bar code on the card, passes the card's magnetic stripe through a reader, and / or otherwise enters the card information into a terminal, such as a merchant terminal. If the card is not pre-associated with a specific value, the customer may specify a specific value and then enter it at the terminal. This specified value is associated with the card unless this associated value is changed later by the customer, merchant, central processor, or provider, or until this associated value is changed. It becomes value.

  The merchant terminal sends this card information to the central processor. The merchant terminal may include other information in the transmission, such as merchant or terminal identification information, other indicia information on the card, or customer information such as name and account number. This transmission may be either a request to activate the card or a request to pre-authenticate the card (which may then follow the associated authentication request). The pre-authentication request may simply query the central processor as to whether the card is a valid card ready to be activated.

  In step 1003, the central processor receives information from the merchant terminal. This information may include some additional information sent from the terminal together with some information input at the terminal. In a preferred embodiment, the received information includes card barcode or magnetic stripe information. The central processor accesses the database entry corresponding to the card. The central processor may check the status of the card. For example, the central processor may check whether the card is a valid card that is ready to be activated. The central processor may also verify whether the card has been lost or stolen, or whether there is a database entry corresponding to the card information. The central processor may also check whether the card is associated with a merchant or requesting terminal; for example, the central processor may receive received terminal information in the terminal stored in the card entry in the database. You may check against the information. In a preferred embodiment, the central processor is an authenticated terminal (or the communication network used to make the request is trusted, such as a trusted source for the terminal to make a stored value card request). That the communication network is connected. For example, if the merchant sends a merchant identifier along with card information, the central processor may verify that the merchant identifier is associated with the card information in the database. At this point, the central processor may send a pre-authentication back to the merchant terminal.

  At this point, if the transmission from the merchant terminal is a pre-authentication request, the central processor may pre-authenticate the card. For example, the central processor may pre-authenticate a valid card that is ready to be issued. The central processor may also make changes to the entry to indicate that the card has been pre-authenticated by a particular terminal. The pre-authentication may be sent from the central processor to the merchant terminal. At this point, the card has not been purchased.

  The merchant terminal then receives the pre-authentication to allow the customer to proceed with the purchase. For example, the merchant terminal may collect funds from the customer, for example, with a credit card or cash transaction. Prior to this time, during this time, or after this time (eg, when or after the customer's funds have been cleared), the merchant terminal then sends an authentication / activation request to the central processor. Also good. The central processor may receive the authentication request and process the information, and the authentication request may include card information (as described herein) and merchant or terminal information.

  The central processor may then change the stored value card entry corresponding to the received card information. The central processor may then activate and / or register the card. For example, the central processor may change the entry to indicate that the card has been registered and / or activated. By activating and / or registering the card, the central processor acknowledges that the card has been purchased correctly at the merchant terminal. When the card is issued or not activated, when the customer later tries to redeem the card and / or when adding value (or otherwise changing the customer account) to the customer account In addition, the central processor may reject the request. This prevents the theft of the card because the stolen card cannot be activated. The central processor may send a transaction confirmation to the merchant terminal and the merchant terminal may send a confirmation to the customer. In some cases, authentication may occur well after pre-authentication (such as after check clearing), so confirmation may not be sent to the customer.

  If the PIN is not pre-printed on the card, the central processor may also send the PIN to the merchant terminal upon card activation. The merchant terminal may then distribute the PIN to the customer as on the printed receipt. The central processor will then relate the PIN to the card (or vice versa), for example by storing the PIN in the card entry.

  The pre-authentication step is convenient for prevention of loss and theft. Without the pre-authentication step, it was possible to redeem the card before paying for it. For example, a card may be redeemed during the delay between when the card is processed (eg, scanned and activated) and when the card is paid (either by the merchant or the customer) did it. The delay may include the time it takes to process a credit card or check, or the delay is the time at the cash register between when the card is scanned and when the customer is actually charged. May be included. However, only activated / authenticated cards can be redeemed, not pre-authenticated cards. By performing pre-authentication at the time of the scan (or otherwise entering card information at the merchant terminal), the user will not be able to exploit this delay for illegal purposes. Then, when the card is activated, the funds may already have been transferred, so the customer will not redeem the value that has not been purchased properly.

  It should be understood that steps 1002 and 1003 may include round-trip communication between the merchant terminal and the central processor, including pre-authentication and authentication / activation requests and responses.

  In step 1004, the customer accesses the central processor system. For example, a customer may request to access a central processor and redeem the associated value. The central processor may include an IVR telephone system or a central website associated with the central processor. The central processor system may also include any other known communication means between the customer and the central system. For purposes of illustration herein, the central IVR and central website, along with the central processor database, are considered part of a general purpose central processor system.

  In optional step 1005, the central system prompts the customer for information. The prompt may be an IVR prompt or an instruction on the website such as an input field on the website. The prompt may include any query by the central processor that requests information from the customer. The prompt may request a PIN, associated value, and any information related to the card, service, or customer, such as customer name, phone number or account number. For example, the customer may be prompted for a provider identifier. As described herein, this information and other information may also be determined automatically.

  In step 1006, the customer provides information to the central system, such as by responding to a prompt. In a preferred embodiment, the customer provides the customer's account number or telephone number along with the card's PIN number.

  In step 1007, the central processor identifies the service provider and customer account number associated with the customer account. The central processor may also identify other information such as serial numbers, other card indicia, values, customer names, addresses, social security numbers, or other customer or account information. This information may be identified based on customer input.

  Some information may be determined automatically by the central system. This information therefore does not require prompts or customer input. For wireless telecommunication services, the account number may be the customer's mobile phone number or mobile identification number (MIN). Identification information such as MIN may be verified by automatic number identification (ANI). For example, if the customer calls an 800 number from the customer's wireless phone, the central system may identify the account associated with the wireless phone number. For long distance telephone service, the central system may similarly identify the account associated with the telephone number.

  Alternatively, the provider identifier may be automatically determined. For example, as described above, the provider may be identified by the way the customer accesses the central system. For example, a particular provider may be associated with a particular 1-800 number (or similar number). Thus, when the central system receives a call from a customer at that number, the central system may automatically determine that the customer account must be associated with a particular provider.

  Information received and identified by the central processor may be stored in a database, such as in a database entry for an associated card, in which different information items are associated with each other. Some identification information associated with the card may allow the central processor to identify other associated card information or account information stored in the database entry.

  Steps 1005 to 1007 may include round trip communications between the customer and the central processor, and these communications may therefore overlap and may occur at the same time.

  In step 1008, the central processor inserts value information into the provider's system. If the customer account can be changed directly by the central system, then the central system changes the customer account to add value. For example, the central processor may be a provider or a provider affiliate, and thus has administrative control over the account. In this case, the central processor may add direct value to the account.

  The central processor may also store changed account information, account history information, and other account information according to methods well known to those skilled in the art.

  If the customer's account cannot be changed directly by the central system, the central processor sends value insertion information to the provider's system to allow the provider's system to process the customer request to add value. By doing so, you may “insert value”. In the preferred embodiment, this information includes the customer account and the value associated therewith. For example, the information may instruct the provider to add an amount (related value) to a particular account (customer account).

  To send information to the provider, the central processor may access the provider's database, where the provider database stores stored value account information for a user account associated with the provider, such as a wireless service account. Remember. The central processor may also access the provider's website or other computer interface.

  In one embodiment, the central processor transfers the stored value card and / or the user's PIN data using Internet protocols and / or file transfer protocols. For example, the central processor may send an XML request to the provider's computer platform. Alternatively, the request may be by email, FTP, or other means. The request may conform to the provider's application programming interface (API), or other format requirements. The request may include accessing the provider's IVR system or website and / or entering information in response to a prompt from the provider system. The processor may make any suitable input to add value to the customer's stored value account. The central processor sends PIN and / or other account related information to the provider (and / or its database), such as PIN, username, address, account number, wireless phone number, password, or other information. May be. For example, the central processor may instruct the provider to add an amount to the user's memory value account.

  In step 1009, the provider adds the associated value to the customer account. If value has already been added to the customer account in step 1008, such as when the central system manages the customer's account directly, this step is not mandatory.

  The third party provider may first receive the information sent from the central processor in step 1008. To add value, the provider modifies its customer account record (such as the record stored in the database) to reflect the information sent, such as increased value in the customer account. May be. The provider may also send a transaction confirmation to the central processor via similar communication means, such as via XML. The confirmation may confirm that the PIN-related transaction has been successfully completed (or has not been completed).

  After value is added (or inserted) to the account, the processor and / or provider may provide a transaction confirmation to the customer. The confirmation may include a positive or negative response, a new account balance, or other account related information or card related information. Even if the telco does not recognize the account, the customer's account is suspended, the account is suspended, or other negative or suspicious circumstances appear, resulting in a negative response Good.

  In step 1010, the customer uses the same memory value card in a subsequent transaction. For example, the card may be scanned at a second merchant terminal or passed through a reader and advanced in a manner similar to step 1002. That is, the merchant may enter card information and send the information to the central processor. This terminal may or may not be the same as the first terminal, and may be located in a store of a different merchant.

  Alternatively, the central processor may receive card information through the Internet, e-mail, telephone (eg, IVR), or other communication means. For example, a customer may log on to a website associated with a central processor and enter card information such as a card number or PIN. The customer may use any means for communicating with the central processor, including a telephone, PDA, computer, or other means.

  In one embodiment, a different associated value may be specified for each subsequent transaction. For example, the customer may enter a value in an input field on the website, or the merchant may enter a new value in the merchant terminal before or after entering the card information.

  Other embodiments may also specify a different provider (eg, by customer) for each transaction.

  In step 1011, the central processor receives card information. Based on this information, the central processor may automatically “recharge” the card by bringing the associated value into the customer's account.

  This may occur in a manner similar to step 1003. Information may be received following a second request to activate the card or otherwise process the card information. The second request may be from a second merchant terminal, and the second merchant terminal may be associated with a different merchant. The second request may also be from the same merchant terminal. The request may also be from some source that communicates with the central processor, such as a computer, PDA, telephone or other device.

  The central processor may then determine whether the account number and provider have been previously identified for the card associated with the received card information. For example, the processor may access a record of the card in the database and determine whether the entry includes the identified provider and account number. As mentioned above, since this account has already been registered / activated, and because account and card information has already been stored, the central processor recognizes that this is an active card. For example, the central processor may receive a barcode serial number or other identifier from the merchant terminal, and the central processor may access the appropriate database entry to determine that the account has been activated.

  Here, the account is already associated with the provider and account number (and value in the preferred embodiment), which means that the central processor has already identified such information during the previous transaction, and This is because I remembered it. There is no need for an additional step 1006 where the customer directly accesses the central system to make a redemption request. Thus, as described above for step 1008, the central processor automatically inserts the value into the customer account.

  Step 1011 describes the process when a previously processed card is used for subsequent transactions. If the card has never been used for a transaction (and as a result the provider and account number have never been identified), the process will begin at step 1001. Each time card information is sent from the merchant terminal (or other source) to the central processor, the processor checks the card information to determine whether the card is already associated with an account number and a provider. Should be understood. If the card was associated, the processor automatically completes the transaction, such as by sending a request to add value to the provider, or by adding or inserting value into the customer's account May be.

  In step 1012, the central processor optionally sends a confirmation to the merchant terminal, which provides confirmation to the customer.

  An additional activation request may be made to the card. For example, after purchasing a card from a merchant terminal and activating the card, the customer may recharge the value of the card any number of times at any number of merchant terminals including the same merchant terminal. The customer may also recharge the card through the internet or telephone. The customer may also specify various parameters such as new associated value, new provider, and new PIN (or other identifier) during recharge.

  It should be understood that the central processor may be the provider's computer system or the central processor may be a separate system. For example, the central processor itself may be a wireless telecommunications company's computer system, where the telecommunications company provides the customer with a wireless PIN and redeems the wireless PIN. Alternatively, the central processor may be a system that is not directly associated with any wireless carrier, in which case the central processor may simply act as a centralized system.

  Based on this information, the central processor may offer customers special treatment and promotions. For example, the central processor may offer sales to customers based on the number (or value or aggregate value) of cards or PINs they have purchased and / or processed, or may provide rewards or facilities. Good.

  It should be understood that a service provider may be any provider of any product and / or service. It should also be understood that the service may be any product or service.

  It should be understood that the specific embodiments of the invention shown and described are exemplary only. Various modifications, changes, substitutions and equivalents will now occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, all subject matter described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings is to be considered merely as illustrative and not in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is not Is intended to be determined only by the following claims.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for supplying communication service value according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating in more detail the step “Receiving from a customer a request to add a service value associated with an identifier to a customer account” of FIG. 1 in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating in more detail the “identifier verification” step of FIG. 2, in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating in more detail the “customer account information verification” step of FIG. 2 in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating in more detail the “Add Associated Service Value to Customer Account” step of FIG. 1 in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating in more detail the “provide customer account summary” step of FIG. 1 according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary system for providing communication services in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing communication services in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating in more detail the step “Receive Request from Customer to Add Service Value Associated with Identifier” to the Customer Account of FIG. 8 according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for recharging an account according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a method of inserting value into a customer account according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a method of inserting value into a customer account according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a flow chart illustrating a method for inserting value into a customer account according to some embodiments of the present invention.

Claims (15)

In a method of inserting value into a customer account related to a product or service provider,
Distributing an account payment card to a customer with an account associated with a particular provider of goods or services;
Presenting the bill payment card at a point of sale (POS) location;
Reading or otherwise obtaining information thereon from the bill payment card;
Receiving value from the customer;
Crediting the value received from the customer to the customer's account associated with the product or service provider;
The bill payment card has an associated identifier and is associated with a provider of the goods or services.   The method of claim 1, further comprising: clearing an account between the POS and the merchandise or service provider.   The method of claim 1, wherein the POS is a merchant POS location.   The method of claim 1, wherein the POS is a dedicated account payment device. Determining the amount payable by the customer to the goods or services provider;
The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting the amount to be paid to the customer. Crediting the value received from the customer to the customer's account associated with the product or service provider comprises:
Crediting the value received from the customer to a central processor;
The method of claim 1, comprising crediting the value from the central processor to the merchandise or service provider minus any applicable charges.   The method of claim 1, wherein the bill payment card further includes information sufficient to identify a financial account associated with the customer. Providing information about the associated financial account to the customer;
In response to a determination that the customer wishes to transfer value from the associated financial account, transferring value from the financial account;
8. The method of claim 7, further comprising: receiving value from the customer at the POS in response to a determination that the customer does not want to transfer value from the associated financial account.   9. The method of claim 8, wherein the value is transferred from the financial account to a central processor in response to a determination that the customer wants to transfer value from the associated financial account. The method of claim 9, further comprising: clearing an account between the central processor and the goods or services provider. In a system that inserts value into a customer account related to a product or service provider,
With a product or service provider,
An account payment card having an associated identifier and associated with the provider of the goods or services;
A system comprising a POS adapted to read or otherwise obtain information from the bill payment card and receive value from a customer. Further comprising a central processor;
The system of claim 11, wherein the central processor comprises information associated with the customer and the product or service provider.   13. The central processor selectively communicates with the POS and the goods or services provider, and the central processor acts as an intermediary between the POS and the goods or services provider. system. A financial institution associated with the customer;
The system of claim 11, further comprising a central processor that selectively communicates with the POS, the goods or services provider, and the financial institution.   The system of claim 14, wherein the central processor comprises information sufficient to identify a financial account associated with the customer maintained by the financial institution.

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